Tag Archives: Ben Matulino

Here at NRL Warrior HQ, I’m a little too frustrated to come up with an interesting anecdote this week, too downcast to wade through the darkness in search of a glimmer of sunshine. So, instead, I’ve decided to change things up: it’s question time.

In an ideal world, I’d like to ask a bunch of questions and have them answered immediately, but, since I couldn’t find an SP Kearney in the White Pages, you’ll have to picture an imposing man nodding his head slowly with his arms crossed while you read the questions and then use your imagination to come up with the answers. Full disclosure — I have so many questions about this season, recent events and the future, I decided to stick with the Set of Six format, focused largely around Friday night against Souths, mainly because I think it’s about all any of us can take right now. Then when I’d written six questions, I had to throw in one more. And then another. I also decided to treat this as a press conference, so all questions are directed at Stephen Kearney, although I appreciate some of the questions relate to the organisation as a whole. Here goes: Continue reading A Bunch of Questions→

The silly season is firmly upon us. Day after day we wake up to rumours of player movement that range somewhere between the truth and fake news. It’s terrible. It’s only Round 8! But, despite the NRL transfer process currently being an unwanted distraction from the regular season, unfortunately we seem to be stuck with it, at least in the short term. So, instead of complaining about what a farce it is that Kieran Foran has played just three games for the club and already has to make a decision about whether he wants to stay for another year, below is a list of all the current Warriors off-contract at the end of 2017 and my arguments for whether the club should hold them or fold them. Continue reading Silly Season→

Twenty-five years ago, the New Zealand cricket team began a World Cup campaign that would go on to capture the imagination of the entire country, forever associating the phrase ‘Young Guns’ with positive memories among Kiwi sports fans. As it turns out, the so-called ‘Young Guns’ weren’t actually that young at all, but that’s beside the point. What we must learn from their march towards the semi-finals is that it was a collection of young and previously unheralded players who tipped the balance from good to great. Continue reading Young Guns→

The article below is the final instalment in the NRL Warrior 2017 Storylines series, where we ponder the potential storylines of the upcoming season. If you missed them, click here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4

26 June 2017

Young Warriors making a huge impact

With the injury to Ben Matulino and the departure of cult hero Charlie Gubb to the North Queensland Cowboys, there were big question marks surrounding the strength of the Warriors’ forward pack going into Round 1. What good would their star-studded backline be without forwards to set the platform? But week after week, Albert Vete and Sam Lisone — affectionately known by the Mt Smart faithful as ‘The Hungry Hungry Hippos’ — have stepped up to the plate. Their stellar play has earned praise from all quarters, as they regularly find themselves in discussions regarding the most-improved players of 2017. ‘There’s no better one-two punch in the NRL right now than Albert Vete and Sam Lisone,’ said Fox Sports commentator Andrew Voss. ‘Albert’s first hit-up is must-see television, and the things that Sam Lisone can do with the ball — sometimes it feels like the Warriors have got two Shaun Johnsons on the field at once. You’d think there’d be some kind of rule against that.’